Away From It All
by Rogue-Slayer13
Summary: After fighting the Senior Partners the group's given the chance at a normal life. Now Complete!
1. Waking Up Normal

Away From It All

Chapter 1: Waking Up Normal

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Summary: After destroying the Senior Partners, Angel and Spike Shanshu and everyone gets a chance at a normal life.

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Spike looked down the alley to where Buffy, the Scoobies, and some slayers were gathered and then back down to the other end where Angel, the LA Gang, Faith, Cordelia, and Oz were gathered. He hated being put in this position, having to choose between the two groups. One that treated him like shit, but he had history with, and the other that had been for the most part, nothing, but nice to him. He didn't have to make up his mind, because at that moment the alley was filled with light. As the light dissipated, a woman appeared in the alley.

"You've done well, much better then anyone thought you would." the woman walked toward the two groups and came to stand in between Spike and the Scoobies.

"What do you mean?" asked Buffy.

"The cards were stacked against you and yet you prevailed. For this you shall be rewarded."

"Is this the part where one of us walks away a real boy?" Spike gestured between himself and Angel.

The woman smiled.

"That is not the case anymore."

"What do you mean?" asked Angel.

"You never fully understood the Shanshu prophecy. It was never meant to be fulfilled by one person and one person alone. The word Shanshu means twin souls."

"It was meant for both of them, wasn't it?" Fred looked at the woman.

"Indeed it was."

"So what happens now?" asked Spike.

"You get to be normal so to speak."

"So to speak?" asked Buffy.

"Well, you'll remember everything from this life, and you'll know each other, but you'll no longer have any supernatural abilities."

"So no slayage?" asked Faith.

"Yes."

"It can't be that bad, right?" Cordelia looked around at the group.

"I'm glad you feel that way," said the woman as another light filled the alley.

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Spike woke up to find himself lying in bed in a strange room. The bed was done all in black and gray. The fitted sheet, two pillow cases, and the loose sheet were gray, while the comforter, the bed skirt, and, two of the pillow cases were black. The walls of the room and the back of the door were covered with various posters, things that had been cut out of magazines, and a few odd things (a penny, a package of dental floss, and an ace of spades playing card were just a few things Spike could see) stuck here and there. The closet door had a mirror on it and all around the mirror were pictures.

Spike got out of bed and went over to the closet to look at the pictures. There some of him with various Scoobies and LA Gang members, a few of just the Scoobies or LA Gang members, and a few of him and some other people who were familiar, but Spike couldn't quite place them. There was a desk and chair against the wall by the door, a guitar and amp were in the corner by the closet, and the bed was on the wall on the other side of the door, facing the closet. Spike didn't have too much longer to snoop around, because at that exact moment the door opened and in walked a girl of about fourteen came in.

"Oh thank god you're not naked," said the girl in a British accent.

The girl was tall, with dark reddish brown hair and green blue eyes. She was dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans that had a hole in each knee and a black T-shirt that had a sliver Slipknot symbol on the front. Spike starred at the girl for a moment trying to place her.

"You okay Will?"

Suddenly it dawned on Spike, put her in Victorian style clothes and it was obvious who she was, his sister.

"Yeah I'm fine Eryn, just a bit tired is all."

"Don't sweat it, I think becoming an eighteen-year-old human would take a lot out of you."

"What?"

"Oh come on. Like they'd bring you back without telling us? Ello, we can't go from eighteen-eighty to two thousand and four just like that."Eryn snapped her fingers to emphasize her point. "We needed a little update."

"Well since you're so informed, you can help me out."

"No problem, what do you need to know?"

"Where are we? Who do I hang out with? Do I have any relationships with people I should know about? Do I have a job?"

"London. Gunn, Oz, Faith, Xander, and Anya mostly. Angel's our cousin and no, you do not have a job."

"Wait a second! _Angel_ is my _cousin_? How the bloody 'ell did that come about?"

"Apparently the PTB didn't want to disturb the family bound you to already had or something like that."

"Okay, anything else?"

"Uh, you're about to move in with Gunn, Oz, and Xander. Faith's dating Gunn, Xander and Anya are together. Willow's moving up 'ere to be with Oz, they're a couple and Cordy and Angel are together, but Angel lives in Dublin and Cordy lives in California so it's odd when they get together," said Eryn. "Oh! Wesley is a friend of yours too."

"This is a lot to take in."

"Yeah, everyone else is gonna have the same problem. The PTB gave us the four-one-one, but then we have to pass it along to you lot."

"Okay. Why'd you come in 'ere in the first place?"

"Oh, mum wants us to go shopping with 'er."

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To Be Continued . . .

I had a bad case of writer's block and now I'm suddenly full of ideas and I'm taking it out on you all. I'm just toying with a few ideas right now, I might keep these up or I might not, it depends on the reviews I get.


	2. Getting Into the Grove of Things

Away From It All

Chapter 2: Getting Into the Grove of Things

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Summary: See pervious chapter.

Disclaimer: The characters of Btvs and Ats belong to Joss Whedon. Spike's family members and other character you've never heard of before are mine.

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"Fred! Fred get up!" Willow gently shook her roommate.

"What? Huh?" Fred sat up in bed and looked around the room that was mostly hidden behind stacks of boxes.

"We need to finish moving today."

"We're moving? To where?" asked a confused Fred.

"I got up before you and went downstairs to find my mom cooking breakfast. She said that she knew all about the PTB and what happened in the alley and I asked her to fill me in. She said we're moving to England, cause I want to be closer to Oz and you want to travel."

"Why do I live with _your_ parents, shouldn't I live with my own?"

"From what I can tell, you and your folks moved up here with your brother Jeff, but the house was small and so once you turned eighteen in moved in with me . . . next door."

Fred got up and looked out the bedroom window to the house right next to ours.

"You mean my parents live _right_ over there?" Fred pointed to the house.

"Yeah, it's only a two bedroom house and you couldn't stand sharing the bathroom."

"That sounds like me," replied Fred as she watched her dad walk outside to check the mail, he spotted her and waved before going back inside.

"This is weird, I don't even get a day to adjust to being normal and I'm already moving to England. Do we even know anyone in England besides Oz?"

"Spike, Gunn, Faith, Anya, and Xander are there. Angel's in Dublin and Cordy's here in California, but she wants to be closer to Angel."

"How'd Faith, Gunn, Anya, and Xander end up in Europe?"

"Faith's dad works as a professor there, Anya's parents moved the entire family there because her grandma died and they inherited a bunch of stuff, and Xander's a sort of permanent exchange student."

"Wow, this is weird, but in a good way . . . I think."

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"Buffy! Dawn it's time to get up!" Joyce called from downstairs.

Dawn sat up in bed and looked around the room that she apparently shared with her sister.

"Buffy, get up!" Dawn threw a slipper at her sisters head, which caused the older Summers to sit up in bed and glare at her sister.

"What do you . . . where are we?"

"I'm guessing this is our chance at normalcy," replied Dawn.

"Are you two up yet?" Joyce poked her head into her daughters' room.

"Mommy?" Buffy looked at her mother in shock.

"Oh right, I forgot. You two have some adjusting to do." Joyce came in and took a seat on Buffy's bed.

"Where are we?" asked Dawn.

"Sunnydale, minus the Hell Mouth and plus a Star Bucks or two."

"Do we know anyone else in town?" asked Buffy.

"The Rosenbergs' live a few houses up the street from us and the Burkles' are right next to them, Fred's been staying with Willow to save space at her house."

"What about Xander?"

"He's in England as an exchange student."

"To get away from his parents fighting?" guessed Buffy.

"Yeah, but he's happy and that's what's important. Cordelia lives a couple a blocks away as well."

"What about everybody else?"

"England mostly, Spike's there, Faith and Gunn are there, Oz is there, Anya's there. Oh, Angel's in Dublin I think."

"Joyce!"

"Up here dear," called Joyce.

"Was that . . ."

"Giles!?"

"Oh, good to see that the two of you are up and about, well, you're up at least."

"What are you doing here?" asked Buffy.

"He lives here dear, he's your step dad," replied Joyce.

"I knew it! I knew you two had a thing for each other!" exclaimed Dawn happily.

"Do you two mind?"

"Not at all," replied Buffy. "It's cool."

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Spike followed his parents through the busy shopping mall. His oldest sister Bridget who was seventeen was walking beside him, while his little brother Samuel, who was fifteen was walking behind them a bit. His youngest sisters Eryn and Mary who were fourteen and thirteen respectively were at the back of the group chatting about the latest school gossip. Spike had forgotten what it was like to have siblings, let alone five of them (thankfully his older brother Thomas who was twenty already had plans), and having siblings in the twenty-first century was a whole new ball game for him.

In the Victorian era you didn't have to listen to your sisters talk about which shade of lip gloss goes with which skirt for forty-five minutes straight and yes, that had been Eryn and Mary's previous topic of choice. Samuel had been unusually quiet, normally he'd be chatting up a storm right alongside the girls.

"It's nice isn't it."

"Huh?" Spike looked over at Bridget.

"Being able to do this all over again in the twenty-first century. I mean there's so many more options now then we used to have."

"Yeah, like the telly and better indoor plumbing."

"Aren't you just a ray of sunshine. What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, just getting used to this is all."

"I'd cheer up before tomorrow."

"Why? What's tomorrow?"

"Church my friend, and we all know how mum is about church. If you're already in a foul mood, tomorrow will blow more so then usual."

"Great, first day back as a human and they throw me into the arms of the lord."

"It's very ironic," piped up Samuel.

"I forgot he was even there," whispered Bridget.

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To Be Continued . . .


	3. Blood Is Thicker Then Water

Away From It All

Chapter 3: Blood Is Thicker Then Water

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Summary: See pervious chapter.

Disclaimer: The characters of Btvs and Ats belong to Joss Whedon. Spike's family members and other character you've never heard of before are mine.

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"Liam! Get up!"

Angel woke up to the sound of a ten-year-old barging into his room.

"Huh?" Angel sat up in bed and looked at the girl in front of him. She looked a lot like him, same hair, same nose and lips, but with someone else's eyes and forehead.

"We've got to go to church. Mum wanted me to get you up."

_You've got to be kidding me._ Thought Angel.

"Do you know anything about what's happened lately?"

"You mean you coming back? Yeah I know all about it," replied the girl proudly.

"Why don't you fill me in."

"Well, we live in Dublin, you're dating Cordy and Spike's our cousin."

"Wait a second! Did you say _Spike_?"

"Yeah, William, his da and our mum our brother and sister. Anyway, Gunn, Wesley, Faith, Xander, and Anya live in London with William. Willow and Fred are moving up here soon and maybe Lorne."

"What about Buffy?"

"She lives a few blocks away from Cordy in Sunnydale, her mom's married to Giles, which is way weird if you ask me."

"Liam! Kathryn! You two bloody well better be ready for mass!" came a woman's voice from downstairs.

"Since when has mom been English?" asked Angel.

"The PTB had her and Spike's dad related so they wouldn't screw up your vampire family tree too much. She moved here when she was eighteen and lived with her grandparents while she went to school and then she met dad."

"We should get ready," said Angel as another warning was shouted up the stairs.

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"All of the genuflecting is going to ruin our knees mum."

"Well if it does, then God will fix them because you went to church."

Bridget rolled her eyes as she followed the group to the cars.

"Thomas, will you take your brothers and sisters back to the house?" asked Spike's father, James.

"Sure thing Da, get in the car you lot," replied Thomas as he turned toward the others.

"See you back at home," called James as he got in his car.

"Do they have no respect for us? There going to give us early arthritis," said Bridget.

"I bloody well doubt it," said Mary, the youngest of the group. "In their eyes we're just serving God."

"Well can't we serve him while sitting down?" asked Samuel.

"It could be worse," said Thomas.

"How?" asked Eryn.

"We could be Catholic."

"And there such a huge difference," said Spike dryly.

"There is, Angel goes to church way more then we do," said Eryn.

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"Whoever came up with genuflecting was a madman," commented Kathryn as she and the others left the church.

"Don't be that way," scolded her mother, Sarah.

"I don't know why you get mad at me, Aunt Anne's kids do it too."

"I'm sure your aunt doesn't allow them to get away with that and I think you should mention this conversation at confession."

"Father O'Malley will agree with me, he's like sixty-seven, I doubt he's found of the idea either."

"Stop while your ahead," whispered Angel.

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"Who's picking us up from the airport?" asked Fred.

"I think Spike, I'm not sure," replied Willow as she taped up one of the many boxes that we're going with them to England.

"I wonder how he's adjusting to life as a human."

"I dunno, he's in his last year of school, which is weird, cause I can't imagine him in school."

"Neither can I. Do they have uniforms?"

"I think he has to wear one, who knows how he's changed it."

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"Ugh! I hate this bloody thing!" exclaimed Mary.

"Me too," replied Eryn as she tugged at her skirt.

"Why on Earth do we have to wear uniforms?"

"They're afraid we'll develop an identity."

"What's wrong with you too?" Spike walked into his sisters' room to find them poking and prodding at their uniforms.

"We hate these things," said Mary.

"They're not in the least bit cool," added Eryn.

Spike looked at the uniforms and he had to agree with them, they were rather plain. They consisted of a gray pleated skirt, gray knee high socks, black Mary-Jane type shoes, a white button up top, a black tie, and a gray sweater with the school crest on the left breast.

"St. Mary's has red plaid, right?" asked Spike after a moment of thinking.

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you have a plaid skirt?"

"I think mum bought us each one," said Mary as she went over to the closet and dug around.

"What are you planning?" asked Eryn.

"I found them!" called Mary as she reappeared with the skirts.

"Give me a minute," replied Spike.

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Mary and Eryn walked into St. Mary's where they were in year nine and year ten respectively. Bridget also went to St. Mary's, but she was in year thirteen, so she didn't have to wear a uniform anymore.

"What are you two wearing?" asked the headmistress as she walked up to the two girls.

"Our uniforms," replied Eryn.

The headmistress looked over the outfit that now consisted of a red plaid skirt, black Mary-Janes, black knee high socks, and a top. Eryn's top was a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up with a black tie that Spike had so graciously cut the school's crest off of one of Eryn's old sweaters and safety pinned onto the tie. Mary had on a white dress shirt and a black sweater with the sleeves of a gray sweater safety pinned on and a red tie.

"This is not the school uniform."

"Everything on 'ere is school issued."

The headmistress starred at the two for awhile before continuing on her way.

"That was priceless!" said Mary with a smile.

"Remind me to thank Will when we get home," added Eryn.

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Spike had done a similar update on his uniform as had Angel all the way in Dublin.

"William! What have you done to your uniform?" asked Anne as she saw her son walk in the front door.

"I just made it a bit more to my liking, s'all," replied Spike.

"You've fiddled with the sleeves and the buttons."

"I put 'em back on, sides, I didn't get in trouble for it."

Anne sighed.

"Well as long as the headmaster doesn't mind."

"He didn't, he was too busy yelling at some silly eleventh years who were wearing purple and yellow plaid pants."

"Don't sound that way, your brother's an eleventh year."

"Exactly." Spike winked at his mother before heading upstairs.

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"I hate uniforms," whined Kathryn.

"Oh stop it, everyone has to wear them," replied Sarah as she went about fixing dinner.

"Eryn and Mary had Spike fix theirs."

"How would you know?" called Sarah from the kitchen.

"They emailed me today," replied Kathryn.

"And they didn't get into trouble"

"No, everything they used was part of the uniform."

"I still don't think you should do it."

"I'll help you," whispered Angel.

"Thanks," replied Kathryn with a smile.

"And don't you be helping 'er either Liam!"

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To Be Continued . . .

This fic is weird, I've had a bad case of writer's block and then I finally came up with a couple of ideas (I didn't say they were good) and I thought I'd just go with them until I overcame my handicap.


	4. New Arrivals

Away From It All

Chapter 4: New Arrivals

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Summary: See pervious chapters.

Disclaimer: The characters of Btvs and Ats belong to Joss Whedon. Spike's family members and other character you've never heard of before are mine.

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"Spike, you've got to pick Willow and Fred up from the airport tomorrow," said Bridget as she came into the living room and sat down next to her brother on the couch.

"They're coming tomorrow?" asked Spike.

"Yep, you're picking them up and then Angel, Kathryn, Aunt Sarah, and Uncle Declan are coming up Saturday to visit for a while."

"Where are they staying?"

"Ere."

"You've got to be joking. Peaches is staying _'ere_!?"

"Yep."

"Oh joy."

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"We're what!?"

"Your mother wants us to go and visit your aunt and uncle," replied Declan O'Connor as he pulled the car into the driveway.

"My god, this life just keeps getting worse," groaned Angel.

"Don't be that way. They're family."

"Yeah, but it's Spike," replied Angel, closing the door and following his dad toward the house.

"Now William's a good boy, he does well in school and he helps out your aunt and uncle. I don't see why you two don't get along, you're just alike."

"Don't say that!"

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"I can't wait to see Wills again," said Xander as he and the others followed Spike to the cars.

"Do you have some sort of lustful attraction to her?" asked Anya.

"Ahn!"

"What? She's an attractive girl, if I were a lesbian, I'd be all over her."

"You don't ask another bloke if he fancies a girl when 'er boyfriend's right 'ere," said Spike motioning over to Oz.

"Right," replied the man as they stopped in front of the cars.

"Who's going with who?" asked Faith.

"Gunn, Xander, and I can go in Xander's car and then take Fred home," offered Willow.

"Okay, and Spike, Oz, and I will go get Red," said Faith.

"Sounds like a plan."

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"I'm so glad to be on solid ground!"

"Me too," replied Willow as she and Fred made their way through the airport and to baggage claim.

"Are excited to see everyone as their eighteen-year-old selves again?" asked Fred.

"Yeah, especially Spike and Gunn, since I didn't get to see them when they were eighteen."

"Gunn looks a lot like he does now . . . I've seen pictures," added Fred at Willow's confused look.

"Oh." Willow headed over to the baggage carousel.

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"I see them!" Xander waved as Willow and Fred came into view.

"Hey Xander!" Willow hugged her friend.

"Hey," said Gunn.

"Good seeing you again," said Spike.

Fred looked at Spike. He looked taller if that was possible, and his hair was spiked up. He had on a pair of black Doc Martens, black jeans, a white button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and a black tie tied loose around his neck.

"You look great Spike," said Fred as she hugged the former vampire.

"Right back at ya."

"It's very Bad Boy meets School Boy."

"We had class today and he didn't have time to change all the way," explained Faith with a smile.

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"Mum we're home!" called Spike as the group walked into his house.

Anne came into the room to greet her son's friends.

"Ello, you must be Willow and you must be Fred," said Anne.

"Yep."

"Well it's good to 'ave you 'ere. The rest of the brood should be around 'ere somewhere."

"Brood?" asked Fred.

"I have six children and everyone one of them is a troublemaker," replied Anne with a smile toward the group and a look at Spike. "Especially this one 'ere."

Just then a shout was heard from upstairs followed by the sound of running.

"Samuel Wallace Edwards, I'm gonna kill you!" shouted a female voice.

"I did nothing! I swear it wasn't me. It was Tom!" replied a male.

"Why would Tom do such a thing!?" questioned a second female.

"And those would be things four through six," commented Spike as a teenage boy came running down the stairs followed by two girls.

"Samuel! You get back 'ere before I kick the bloody . . ."

"Eryn Elizabeth if you so much as try to finish that sentence it'll be your head," called Anne.

A faint 'sorry mum' was heard from the other room.

"That was my youngest son Sam, and my youngest two daughters, Eryn and Mary," explained Anne.

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"Peaches is coming by Saturday," said Spike as the group gathered in the backyard.

"Really? What for?" asked Fred.

"His mum wants to visit my mum."

"We're all looking forward to it," joked Faith.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see the masculine and sweaty fight that breaks out between the two," said Anya.

"Ahn, remember what we talked about?" asked Xander.

"That was one of those things?"

"Yes, it was," replied Xander.

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To Be Continued . . .

You all seem to like this fic, so I'll keep it going until people start hating it.


	5. Family Reunions Suck

Away From It All

Chapter 5: Family Reunions Suck

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Summary: See pervious chapters.

Disclaimer: The characters of Btvs and Ats belong to Joss Whedon. Spike's family members and other character you've never heard of before are mine.

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"I can't wait to see Eryn and Mary!" said an excited Kathryn as she followed Sarah, Declan, and Liam out of the train station.

"And I'm sure they're equally excited," said Declan.

"Yeah, you three can stay up all night giggling about your boyfriends."

"That's not all we talk about."

"Oh yeah I forgot. You'll wanna talk about shoes and make-up and all that other girly crap too."

"Liam, be nice to your sister," scolded Sarah as she slapped Angel on the back of the head.

"Yeah Liam, be nice to me."

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"Do we have to let them in?" asked Spike as Anne went about tidying up the house.

"Yes, William, they're family."

"Can't we just pretend like we're not home?"

"Yeah, let's act like we went to visit Grandmum and granddad," suggested Sam as he came into the living room with Eryn and Mary.

"Or better yet, we could _actually _go and see 'em. It's been ages and I'm sure they're rather lonely," said Mary.

"If they're so lonely, I'm sure they'd absolutely _love_ a visit from the _entire_ family. We could once your aunt and uncle get 'ere." Anne looked at her children to see what they had to stay.

"On second thought, I'm sure Grandmum and Grandad are fine. I mean, we'd probably just get in the way of their afternoon tea. You know how the elderly like their tea," said Eryn.

"Thought so." Anne went back to her cleaning.

"Where are they staying? I'm mean, we've got a full house as is," said Sam.

"Well, Kathryn is staying with you two girls and Liam is staying in Will's room."

"What!? Why does he 'ave to be in my room? Make 'im stay with Sam," exclaimed Spike.

"I'm sure someone Liam's age doesn't want to bunk up with a fifteen-year-old," said Anne. "No offense Sam."

"I don't bloody well care who he _wants_ to bunk with. Make 'im stay out in the garage."

"He's staying with you and that's final," said Anne firmly.

Spike sighed before flopping down on the couch and turning on the TV.

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"Anne!"

"Sarah!" Anne pulled her sister-in-law into a warm hug.

"Good to see ya Anne," said Declan as he hugged Anne.

"Same 'ere."

"Hi Aunt Anne," said Kathryn.

"Why Kathy! Look how much you've grown! Come on in." Anne closed the door behind the O'Connor's.

"Eryn and Mary are upstairs if you want to go and talk to them Kathryn."

"Thanks," said Kathryn as she headed for the stairs.

"Will's outside," said Anne directing her attention to Angel.

"I guess I'll go and see what he's up too," replied Angel as he headed for the back door.

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Spike, Xander, Oz, and Gunn were playing cards on the back steps while Faith, Anya, Willow, and Fred were talking over on the other end of the porch. Every once in a while the two groups would share a conversation, but mostly they were on their own. That's how Angel found them, guys playing cards and the girls talking about the newest movie that they wanted to see.

"Hey Angel," greeted Xander as he briefly looked up before going back to his cards.

"Hey." Angel walked over and took a seat on the porch railing in between the two groups.

"You're awfully quiet Peaches, oh wait, that's how you always are," commented Spike.

"Shut up."

"Bite me."

"Boys! Let's be civilized, after all, we're family," said Faith with a smile.

"Well, not really. I mean, Spike and Angel are, but no one else is," replied Anya.

"It was a joke," said Willow.

"Oh! A joke, I get it. We're close like family, but we're not. That's funny," said Anya with a smile.

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"Do you think our brothers are going to get along?" asked Kathryn as she sat down on Mary's bed.

"I don't know, they seem to be acting civilly toward each other," said Mary.

"Or at least they haven't killed each other yet," commented Eryn.

"Faith's down there, she'd kick both their arses if they tried anything," said Kathryn.

"Yeah, she's cool." Eryn sat down on her bed across from Mary and Kathryn.

"So, what do you two want to do?" asked Mary.

"I dunno, we could play cards or do some of those quizzes in the magazines," said Eryn pointing to the stack of magazines on the floor.

"Those quiz thingies are usually cool," said Kathryn.

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"How long are you staying Angel?" asked Willow.

"I don't know, I think my mom wants to stay for a few days. We don't have school Monday, so I think we'll be here until then."

"It's weird hearing you talk about your mom," said Fred.

"Yeah, I'm still not used to it myself."

"Will! Liam! I want you two to come 'ere for a second," called Anne from inside the house.

"Coming," replied Spike as he set his cards down and got up.

"Do you think they'll fight all weekend?" asked Fred once Spike and Angel had left.

"God I hope not," replied Gunn.

"They're gonna have to get used to seeing each other and being related," said Xander.

"Yeah, that's permanent," added Oz.

"Maybe we should see if we can crash here tonight and try and keep them busy," suggested Anya.

"Yeah, we could watch movies or something and that would keep them from killing each other," added Faith.

"We'll suggest it when they get back," said Xander.

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To Be Continued . . .

Thanks for the reviews!


	6. Sleep Over

Away From It All

Chapter 6: Sleep Over

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Summary: See pervious chapters.

Disclaimer: The characters of Btvs and Ats belong to Joss Whedon. Spike's family members and other character you've never heard of before are mine.

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"Do you think your mom would mind if we all crashed here tonight?" asked Anya bluntly as Spike and Angel came back outside.

"I don't think she would," said Spike as he sat down on the steps next to Xander. "We could probably crash out in the living room or something."

Spike's family had retained their old house upon their resurrection, so they had a nice three story Victorian style house with a wrap around porch and plenty of room for five still at home children and their friends.

"Great, we can watch movies and eat a lot of junk food," said Willow.

"What about your sisters?" asked Xander. "Will they want to come down too or will they want to have some girl time? I don't mind either way."

"They'll probably want to spend most of the night talking to Kathryn and plotting a way to corrupt her," said Spike.

"Corrupt her?" asked Fred.

"Yeah, they're a big part in the punk rock revitalization effort and they want to share it with Kathryn," said Angel.

"Punk never died if you ask me. It just got way to main stream with all of the posers and then when they lost interest you were just left with the hardcore punkards," said Anya.

"Exactly!" Spike put in his ante in the poker game that was still going on between Xander, Gunn, Oz, and himself.

"So, we're going for the standard movies, pizza, chips, popcorn, ice cream, soda, and anything else not nailed down kind of night?" asked Gunn.

"Yep," said Faith.

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"Mum, can Faith and the guys stay tonight?" asked Spike as the group finally came inside due to the rain that was beginning to fall.

"If you don't make too much noise," replied Anne as she came into the kitchen. "Are you all staying for dinner too?"

Spike looked at his friends and watched as Xander made an exaggerated gesture of licking his lips and rubbing his stomach.

"I think Harris is trying to motion that he'd like to, either that, or its some crude hand gesture," said Spike.

"Let's hope it's the former," replied Anne with a smile.

"I like your cooking Mrs. Edwards," said Xander.

"Well thank you Xander," said Anne as Spike lead the group out of the kitchen.

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"What's with the sleeping bags and junk food?" asked Mary as she came down the stairs with Kathryn and Eryn.

"Yeah, we ate not even an hour ago, you guys couldn't possibly be hungry again," said Kathryn.

"Or still, I watched you eat half a pan of stuffing alone, Xander," added Eryn.

"Ha, very funny," replied Xander as he went about piling the coffee table with various bags of junk food. "If you must know, we're having a little soirée."

"Why weren't we invited?" asked Mary.

"Would you want to hang out with your brother and his friends?"

"Not really, but it's the thought that counts," said Eryn.

"Well, we knew from pervious experience that you wouldn't want to come so we saved on paper and passed up the invitations."

"When'd you become Mr. Money Conscious?" asked Kathryn.

"When I was in charge of groceries at my house for a week."

"Ooh, a whole week? You're such a big boy now Xander," said Mary as she, Eryn, and Kathryn walked out of the living room laughing.

"Spike! Your sisters are mean!"

"Get over it," said Spike as he came into the living room with more food.

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"We can't possibly eat all of this."

Fred looked at the coffee table that was groaning under the weight of four bottles of soda, four bags of chips, a box of doughnuts, a package of cookies, a bowl of popcorn, and a bag of assorted candy.

"That's not even all of it," said Gunn as he and Oz finished moving the last of the furniture out of the way.

"Yeah, we've got ice cream in the freezer," said Oz.

"Do we also have large quantities of Pepto-Bismol?" asked Faith.

"Yeah, I'm sensing a major stomachache will be happening later this evening," said Willow.

"We don't need any medicine, we're men," said Xander proudly.

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"Oh God," groaned Xander as he rolled around on the floor. "I'm sorry! I'll never eat so much food again!"

"Xander, we aren't even half way through our first movie," said Faith.

"The pain! ," moaned Xander as he curled up into the fetal position.

"I'll go get the Pepto," said Fred as she got up from her spot on the couch and headed for the bathroom.

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"Sweet bubble gum flavored relief," sighed Xander as he poured a good amount of Pepto-Bismol down his throat.

"Now that Harris' stomach crisis is over, can we get back to the movie?" asked Angel.

"Yeah," said Spike as he took the DVD off pause.

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Samuel came down stairs to find the living room over run with bodies. Xander and Anya were curled up on the love seat, Gunn was lying in one of the chairs with his feet over the side, Spike, Fred, and Faith were curled up on the couch, Angel was in the other chair, and Willow and Oz were on the floor. Sam continued on his way through the living room, careful not to disturb anyone and headed into the kitchen.

"Mum, are you aware that we have a living room full of sleeping people?" asked Sam as he took a seat next to his sisters and Kathryn.

"Yes, your brother's friends stayed the night." Anne set a plate with scrambled eggs, bacon, and pancakes in front of Sam.

"When did they go to bed?"

"They were still up when we came down for some ice cream," said Kathryn.

"Yeah, we practically had to pry the chocolate chip out of Xander's hands." Eryn poured syrup on her pancakes.

"That's sounds like him."

"I'm just glad that Spike and Angel didn't kill each other." Mary reached across the table for some orange juice.

"Maybe they did," replied Sam. "A dead man and a sleeping one look enough alike."

"Don't talk like that," scolded Anne.

"Sorry mum," replied Sam.

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Spike and the others woke up a little bit after Sam came down. They went into the now full kitchen to get something to eat.

"Geez, you guys need a bigger kitchen," said Anya as she made her through the five-inch gap between Eryn's chair and the wall.

"Or a smaller family." Sam looked at Spike and then at Bridget who was sitting down next to Kathryn.

"Sam, you are to cherish the time you get to spend with your brother and sister before they move out," said Anne.

"Yeah, you never spent anytime with Thomas and once he left home you complained about never seeing him," added James.

"Sides, Spike's outta 'ere in how many weeks?" asked Eryn.

"Two," replied Gunn.

"I envy you," said Bridget. "You get your own place with Gunn, Oz, and Xander, while I'm still 'ere at home."

"You'll be out in a year," said Mary.

"Yeah, and then I'll get your room," added Eryn.

"I feel the love in this family," said Faith as she grabbed a piece of toast off Spike's plate.

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To Be Continued . . .


	7. Transatlantic Phone Calls

Away From It All

Chapter 7: Transatlantic Phone Calls

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Summary: See pervious chapters.

Disclaimer: The characters of Btvs and Ats belong to Joss Whedon. Spike's family members and other character you've never heard of before are mine.

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James walked through the house to get to the ringing phone.

"Ello? Edwards' residence, this is James."

"Oh hi, um is Spike there?"

"Yes, may I ask who's calling?"

"My name's Cordelia."

"Oh, you must be my nephew Liam's girlfriend," said James with a smile.

"Yeah."

"Well I'll get Will for you," said James as he covered the receiver with his hand. "Will! You've got a phone call!"

"Who is it?" asked Spike as he came into the living room.

"Cordelia," replied James as he handed his son the phone.

"Ello?" answered Spike.

"Hey Spike! How are ya?" greeted Cordy.

"Fine, how are you?"

"Good, I was just calling to see how everyone was. I heard everyone tended to hang out at your house."

"Yeah, it's become a right little head quarters."

Cordelia laughed.

"Is anyone there now?"

"Uh, Fred, Faith, and Red are out back with Gunn, and Oz and Xander and Anya should be 'ere any moment . . . oh, and your boyfriend's 'ere too."

"Really? Angel's there?" asked Cordelia.

"Yeah, he's spending the weekend, you can talk to 'im if ya want."

"Well, if you wouldn't mind," said Cordelia.

"Yeah, just a minute." Spike took the phone away from his ear and yelled for Angel. "He'll be down in a sec."

"Okay."

"What do you want Spike?" asked Angel.

"Cordy wants to talk to ya." Spike held the phone out toward Angel.

"Really?"

"Yes you poof, now take the damn phone before she thinks you don't like her." Spike thrust the phone at Angel.

"Hello?"

"Hey Angel, how are you?"

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"Guess what," said Willow as she came back outside from talking to Cordy.

"What?" asked Fred.

"Cordelia's moving here."

"Really?" asked Angel.

"Yep, her dad just bought her plane ticket." Willow sat down next to Oz.

"When will she be 'ere?" asked Spike.

"Next Wednesday or Thursday, I can't remember."

"Something we might want to know, if she needs picked up," said Gunn with a smile.

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Buffy was sitting outside the espresso pump when Cordelia sat down next to her.

"Guess what?"

"What?"

"I'm moving to London!" exclaimed Cordy with a huge smile.

"Not you too! God, I'm going to be the only Scooby left in California," said Buffy sadly.

"No, you have Dawn and I think Andrew might still live here."

"Oh great, Andrew and my sister."

"Well, you'll get to visit during Christmas, right? Doesn't Giles have family over there that he sees?"

"Yeah, but that's only gonna be once or twice a year."

"Well, we'll come back here too," said Cordy. "All of our families live here, so with the two times you come over there and the two or three times we come over here, that's like four or five visits a year."

"I'm so glad you can count," said Buffy sarcastically.

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"Oh . . . my . . . god, this place is huge!" said Fred as she looked around the large and empty flat.

The flat had a good sized kitchen that had an island in it and a white tiled floor. The living room was fairly large with white walls, beige carpet, and French doors that lead out onto a balcony. To the left of the living room was a hallway with Willow's room and a bathroom. To the right of the living room was a second hallway with Fred's room and another bedroom.

"I never even knew an apartment could have this much space," said Willow as she walked into the living room and set down her duffle bag.

"It has an echo."

"Yeah, but it won't once our stuff get's here."

"When's it supposed to be here anyway?"

"I don't know, later this afternoon," replied Willow.

"Want to go help the guys out?"

"Sure."

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When Willow and Fred got to the guys' flat, most of the stuff was already moved in. The flat itself was set up a lot like Fred and Willow's. Good size kitchen, and big living room with a balcony. The main difference was the bedrooms and bathrooms. To the left of the living room was Gunn and Xander's rooms and the bathroom and to the right of the living room was Spike and Oz's rooms. The kitchen had a black and white checkered floor and a bar that connected the kitchen to the living room and the living room had hardwood floors and brick walls.

"Wow, you guys are almost done moving in," said Fred.

"Yeah, we've been working on this all day now," said Spike who was sitting on the black couch in the middle of the living room.

In front of the couch was a green area rug that had six guitars lying on it lengthwise. The coffee table was on top of the rug and the entertainment center was up against the wall in front of the couch. Behind the couch was an open space with a drum kit in the corner and a couple of amps.

"Who's drum kit?" asked Fred.

"Mine," said Xander as he carried an empty box from his room into the living room.

"Since when have you played the drums?" asked Willow.

"I dabbled in high school a bit, but never picked it up."

"And the amps?" asked Fred.

"Spike and Oz play guitar and I play bass," said Gunn.

"You guys should have a band," said Willow. "You've got enough people and talent."

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Spike and the others were gathered at The Edge, a club very much like The Bronze listening to one of the local bands when Faith and Anya came over.

"Hey you two," greeted Xander.

"Hey," replied Faith as she took a seat in between Spike and Willow.

"You look bummed, what's wrong?" asked the red head.

"Nothing, it's just finding an apartment is proving useless."

"Why do you need an apartment? I thought your parents were cool with you staying around," said Gunn.

"They are, but I'm not. I don't know, it's just something about seeing everyone else out on their own, it makes me like such a dork to live at home."

Fred leaned over and whispered something to Willow, who in turn whispered a reply.

"How badly do you want a place to stay?" asked Fred.

"Badly, why?" Faith looked over at Fred.

"Well, we've got an extra room at our place and if you could stand us as roommates, the room's yours," said Fred.

Faith smiled.

"Of course I could stand living with you guys."

"Well then, you're our new roomie," said Willow with a grin.

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A couple of days later Angel went to the airport to pick up Cordy, and much to his protests, she dragged him straight over to see Spike and the others.

"They're probably busy," said Angel as Cordy half dragged, half lead him down the hallway.

"They're home, I called them to make sure," said Cordy as she came up to the door of Spike's flat and knocked.

It was just a few seconds before Anya answered the door.

"Hello Cordelia!" Anya pulled Cordy into a hug.

"Hey Anya," replied Cordy.

"It's been awhile since I've seen you." Anya shut the door behind Angel.

"Yeah it has."

"Well everyone's in the living room watching TV." Anya lead the two into the living room.

"What are watching?" asked Cordy.

"Monty Python," replied Xander from his spot on the floor in front of the couch.

"Really? I didn't peg Spike and Oz as Python guys."

"There's more to us then meets the eye," replied Oz.

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To Be Continued . . .

I'm going to try and have Wesley and Lorne in the next chapter and Buffy in the chapter after that. Please review!


	8. Long Time No See

Away From It All

Chapter 8: Long Time No See

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Summary: See pervious chapters.

Disclaimer: The characters of Btvs and Ats belong to Joss Whedon. Spike's family members and other character you've never heard of before are mine.

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"Do you have any good karaoke music?"

Spike's head snapped up at the sound of the voice.

"_Lorne_?"

The man starred at Spike for a moment, before he smiled in recognition.

"Spike! How are you?"

"Fine, and yourself?"

"Oh I'm good, don't exactly know how I ended up in London, but I'm good."

"London seems to be a gathering place for former demons and demon fighters," said Spike with a smile.

"So you work here?" Lorne looked around the music store.

"Yeah, it's better then working in a coffee shop or a museum."

"For some reason I can't picture you working at either," said Lorne. "So, have you seen anyone else?"

"Yeah, actually I have."

"Who?"

"Almost the entire LA Gang and most of the Scoobies."

"Really? All I've seen is Wesley."

"My sister Eryn said something about Percy coming around."

"You have a sister?"

"Three actually and two brothers."

"Are you Catholic?"

"Mum used to be and we're half Irish," replied Spike with a smile.

"That explains it."

"You and Percy should come over sometime."

"Sure, you'll just have to give me the address."

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"Guess who I ran into today," said Spike as he walked into the apartment that just happened to have everyone in it.

"Who?" asked Fred.

"Lorne." Spike set his keys down on the table in the hallway and took off his coat. "He said he and Percy would stop by some time."

"That's cool," said Gunn.

"We could go out for dinner and catch up," suggested Cordy.

"That's a good idea," said Willow from her spot next to Oz on the couch.

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Lorne found Wesley sitting on the couch in the coffee shop by his house. He was so engrossed in his book, he didn't even notice Lorne until he snatched the book out of his hands.

"Excuse me . . ." Wesley looked up to see who had stolen his book. "Oh, it's you Lorne."

"Don't sound too excited, people might think we're friends." Lorne took a seat next to Wesley. "You'll never believe who I ran into today."

"Margaret Thatcher?"

"No, Spike."

"Really? How's he doing?"

"Good and he said we should come by and see the gang sometime."

"That'd be nice."

"I'm glad you think so, because I already said we'd go out to dinner with them."

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"Lorne and Wesley are having dinner with us tonight," announced Willow as she walked into the guys' apartment.

"Cool," said Gunn.

"What are we having?" asked Xander.

"I don't know," replied Willow. "I thought we'd put it to a vote."

"As long as it's edible, I don't care," said Oz.

"That's kind of how I feel," added Faith.

"Why don't we let Wesley and Lorne decide since we don't care?" suggested Anya.

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"Wesley! Lorne!" Faith pulled them both into a hug. "How are you guys?"

"Fine," replied Wesley.

After introductions the group went out to eat at an Italian restaurant not far from Spike's flat.

"This is good," said Xander through a mouth full of spaghetti.

"And that was so gross," commented Faith.

"Pardon Xander, he has no manners," said Anya.

"That coming from Miss Tactless," retorted Xander, getting a slap on the head from Anya and a laugh out of everyone else.

"You know what we should do after dinner?" asked Faith.

"What?" asked Oz.

"We should go to The Edge."

"I've never been there," said Lorne.

"Then we have to go for sure," replied Faith.

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"I can't get over how much this place looks like The Bronze," commented Wesley.

"I know, it's freaky," said Cordy.

"Wanna dance?" asked Oz as a slow song came on.

"Of course," replied Willow as she followed Oz to the dance floor.

"How 'bout you Ahn?"

"Sure," replied Anya.

"Come on Angel." Cordy lead her boyfriend out onto the dance floor.

"Care to dance?" Gunn looked over at Faith.

"I thought you'd never ask," replied Faith as she left the table.

Spike, Fred, Wesley, and Lorne were still sitting at the table when a woman around their age came over to the table. She had curly shoulder length dark blonde hair with light blonde highlights and blue eyes.

"This might seem weird, but would you like to dance?"the woman asked Wesley.

"Well I, um, well," replied a flustered Wesley.

"Go on Wes," said Fred as she nudged the Brit.

"Sure." Wesley followed the woman to the dance floor.

"Look at Percy, hooking up with a complete stranger. I didn't know he had it in 'im," commented Spike.

"I think I'll take a hint from him and mingle," said Lorne as he left as well, leaving just Fred and Spike.

Fred looked over at the dance floor where everyone else was currently at.

"They look cute together," said Fred motioning toward Willow and Oz and Anya and Xander.

"Yeah, I just hope Harris doesn't screw things up with Anya this time around," said Spike.

"What do you mean?"

"He left her at the altar last time they were together."

"That's awful, why would he do that?"

"He was afraid he'd turn into an abusive prick like 'is dad."

"Oh, that kind of makes it better, I guess."

"Wanna dance?" asked Spike out of the blue.

"Huh?" Fred was completely taken back.

"Do you want to dance?" asked Spike.

"Sure," replied Fred.

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"Oh my god, how cute," said Faith looking over Gunn's shoulder.

"What's so cute?" asked Gunn.

"Look behind you."

Gunn looked over his shoulder as well and saw Spike and Fred dancing together.

"I knew he had a thing for her."

"By the looks of it, the feeling's mutual."

"Do you see what I see?" asked Willow as she and Oz danced over to Faith and Gunn.

"Yeah," replied Faith.

"I think they look cute," said Anya as she came over with Xander following close behind her.

"I thought Fred was with Wesley," said Xander.

"Well they were, but the whole Illyria thing kind of put a damper on the relationship," said Gunn.

"We should probably stop starring before they see us," pointed out Oz.

"Good idea," said Willow as the three couples went back to dancing.

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"You're a good dancer," said Fred.

"You're not too bad yourself Pet," replied Spike.

"Why thank you."

"Not a problem."

"If you don't mind me asking, what caused you to ask me to dance?" Fred looked up at Spike to see his reaction.

"Something I've been meaning to do."

"_Seriously_?"

"Is that hard to believe?"

"Well no, but bad boys don't go for girls like me."

"I'm not your typical bad boy Pet," replied Spike with a smirk.

"I guess not," replied Fred.

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"So, what's with you and Spike?" asked Faith as she, Willow, and Fred got back to their flat.

"I don't know what you mean," replied Fred coyly.

"Don't play coy with us, we saw you," said Willow. "I'm surprised Anya didn't come home with us to get the details."

"We'll be getting a phone call once she gets done with Xander," replied Fred.

"Oh gross, I so did not want to hear that." Fred went into the kitchen and came back with some ice cream.

"I'm just saying it like I see it."

"Wrong choice of words Faith," commented Willow as she sat down on the couch.

"Anyway, back to Spike and you," said Faith, "what's up?"

"Nothing, we just danced." Fred sat down in the chair across from Willow and Faith.

"For half an hour?" asked the former Slayer.

"You guys danced that long."

"Well, Oz and I are a couple, that's what couples do," said Willow.

"And Gunn and I have been flirting for weeks now."

"Well," said Fred. "There might've been a little bit of flirting, but that's all."

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"Are you and Fred going out?" asked Xander bluntly the next morning.

"No, why?" asked Spike.

"Anya wanted to know."

"So did Will," added Oz.

"We just danced is all," said Spike.

"Are you sure?" asked Xander. "You were awfully close?"

"How many times did I see you dance with the Slayer or Cordy or Red?"

"That was in high school and if you hadn't noticed, I had a huge crush on Buffy and dated Cordy."

"We're just friends," said Spike.

"For now," added Oz.

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To Be Continued . . .


	9. Maybe a Little More Then Friends

Away From It All

Chapter 9: Maybe a Little More Then Friends

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Summary: See pervious chapters.

Disclaimer: The characters of Btvs and Ats belong to Joss Whedon. Spike's family members and other character you've never heard of before are mine.

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"We should be in a band," said Xander all of the sudden.

"What brought that up?" asked Gunn.

"I was thinking about what the girls said and I think we should do it."

"Uh, okay," said Oz.

"What about you Spike? You in?" asked Xander.

"Sure," replied the blonde as he took a drink of his orange juice.

"I guess I'll do it too," said Gunn.

"Great! Now we just need a name," said Xander.

"We could ask the girls what they think," said Oz.

"Okay," said Xander.

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Spike was sitting on the couch starring at the phone, like he had been doing for the last ten minutes. He was debating wether or not he should call Fred and see if she wanted to go with him to the movies. He was still sitting in front of the phone when Xander and Gunn came back from the grocery store.

"Oh for Christ Sakes, just call her," said Xander.

"Yeah, you've been starring at the phone ever since we left," added Gunn.

"What if she doesn't want to go?" asked Spike.

"What happened to the old Spike that was all balls and swagger?" asked Xander.

"This is human Spike, get used to it," snapped the blonde.

"Trust me man, she'll want to go," said Gunn.

"Fine. I'll give 'er a call." Spike picked up the phone and dialed the number.

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"Hello?" Faith picked up the phone.

"Hey Faith, is Fred there?" replied Spike.

"Sure, hold on a minute." Faith put her hand over the receiver and walked over to Fred. "It's your sex god."

"Spike isn't my sex god," replied Fred.

"If he isn't your sex god, then how'd you know who I was talking about?"

"Just give me the phone." Fred snatched the phone away from Faith which caused Willow to giggle. "Hello?"

"Hey Pet, it's me Spike."

"Hey Spike."

"I, I was wondering if you'd like to, well, there this movie and I was . . . , do you wanna go on a date with me?" Spike stumbled through the first part, but got up enough courage to blurt out the last part.

"Are you asking me out?" asked Fred with a smile.

"Well, yeah, but only if you want me to."

"I'd love too."

"_Really_?"

"Yeah, what time?"

"How 'bout I pick you up at seven tomorrow?"

"It's a date."

"Great, I'll see ya then."

"See ya," replied Fred as she and Spike hung up.

"So? What's going on?" asked Willow.

"We're going to the movies."

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"What'd she say?" asked Xander.

"She said yes, I'm picking 'er up at seven tomorrow," replied Spike.

"See, I told ya she'd say yes," said Gun with a smile.

"I just hope I don't bullocks things up."

"You won't," said Gunn. "Everything will be fine."

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Fred was by time Spike came to pick her up. She managed to make it out the door before Willow or Faith could pounce on Spike and demand details.

"Have a good time you two!" called Willow as Fred quickly shut the door behind her.

"Let's go before they yell out the window," joked Fred.

"Whatever you say Pet," replied Spike as he walked her out to his car.

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Spike watched as Fred looked at him out of the corner of her eye. Every once in awhile she'd turn and glance at him while she took a drink of her soda. The previews had just finished and the movie was about to start. Spike made himself more comfortable in his seat and spared one last glance at Fred.

Fred jumped a little when the serial killer in the movie jumped out in front of the leading lady. Spike saw this a put his arm around Fred who smiled and moved closer to Spike.

_He's got his arm around me!_ Thought Fred giddily.

_I hope to God I don't screw this up._ Thought Spike.

As the movie went on, Fred found herself getting closer and closer to Spike, who didn't seem to mind to much. Everyone time something in the movie would spook or startle Fred, Spike would give her a reassuring smile and pull her a little closer to him. By the end of the movie Fred was laying her head on Spike's shoulder and using it to bury her face in at the particularly gory parts.

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"Did ya have fun Pet?"

"Yeah, sorry about practically crawling into your lap," said Fred. "I don't usually get so worked up about movies. This one just had a lot of parts that kind of jumped out at ya."

"There are worse things then having a pretty girl in your lap."

Fred blushed deeply as Spike unlocked the car door.

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"We'll have to do this again sometime," said Fred as they pulled up in front of her apartment building.

"Absolutely, I had a blast," replied Spike.

"Well, I better get upstairs. I know Willow and Faith are probably dying to know how things went."

"Wouldn't want to keep them in suspense," said Spike as Fred got out of the car.

Fred gave a little way before heading inside.

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To Be Continued . . .

Please review! If anybody has a suggestion of what the band name should be, please send it to me. Thanks.


	10. Dish Out the Details

Away From It All

Chapter 10: Dish Out the Details

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Summary: See pervious chapters.

Disclaimer: The characters of Btvs and Ats belong to Joss Whedon. Spike's family members and other character you've never heard of before are mine.

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Fred walked into her apartment to find four very expectant faces starring at her from the living room.

"What are you two doing here?" asked Fred motioning toward Cordelia and Anya.

"We want details and we want them now," said Cordelia.

"Spare no expense," added Willow.

"Did you two have sex?" asked Anya.

"Oh God! No! It was our first date Anya."

"So, why would that get in the way?"

"Don't mind her, we all know where her mind resides most of the time," said Faith. "Although I bet Spike would be a spectacular shag . . ."

"Oh he is," confirmed Anya.

"I did not _shag _Spike. We went to the movies and that was it." Fred walked into the living room and flopped down in the empty arm chair.

"Have you already planned a second date?" asked Cordy.

"We just said that we should do it again sometime."

"You need to call him and set up a second date" said Faith.

"Don't any of you have personal lives of your own?" asked Fred.

"Yeah, but we're never ones to turn down a budding romance in aid," said Willow.

"What kind of aid?" asked Fred. "It was just the movies."

"That's precisely our point," said Cordelia. "We've got to make sure you guys move past casual dating and into coupledom."

"_Coupledom_? I think you guys are taking this _way_ to seriously."

"I bet he'll call you within a day or two," said Willow.

"Oh he will not," replied Fred.

"Just wait and see," said the red head with a smile.

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"You need to ask her out again," said Xander.

"Huh?" asked Spike.

"Ask Fred out for a second date."

"How do I know if she wants to go out again?"

"Well, you don't," said Gunn. "But it's worth a shot."

"Take her out to dinner," said Xander.

"Or dancing," said Gunn.

"Do both," suggested Oz.

"And if she turns me down?" Spike looked at his roommates.

"You'll act like Angel and be all broody and lethargic for the next week or two," replied Xander.

"But it's definitely worth a shot," said Oz.

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Fred was home alone watching TV when the phone rang.

"Hello?" answered Fred.

"Hey Luv," came the reply.

"Oh hi Spike, what are you doing?"

"Nothing much, what about you?"

"Sitting at home bored and watching TV."

"Well if you're bored, maybe you'd like to come have lunch with me." Spike crossed his fingers.

"Right now?" Fred sat up on the couch.

"Yeah, but you don't have to if you don't want to," said Spike quickly.

"No, I'd love to! What time?"

"Oh, ah, 'ere in just a bit I guess," replied Spike with a sigh of relief.

"Okay, I'll just have to get ready." Fred got up and headed for her bedroom. "Are you picking me up or do you want me to meet you somewhere?"

"I'll come and get you."

"Okay, well I guess I'll see you in a bit."

"Guess so," replied Spike as he and Fred ended the call.

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Spike knocked on the door and waited for Fred to answer. It only took a little bit before the door was opened and Fred motioned for Spike to come in.

"You look nice Pet," said Spike, causing Fred to blush slightly.

"Thanks," replied Fred looking down at her outfit, which consisted of a pair of boots, jeans, and a navy blue long sleeve shirt with bell sleeves.

"So, where do you want to go for lunch?"

"Uh, have you been to that new deli down the street?" asked Fred.

"No, is it any good?"

"Oh my god, they have _the_ best sweet tea this side of Texas," replied Fred with a smile.

"I guess we'll go there then," said Spike.

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"Oh Fred, we're home!" called Cordelia as she, Willow, Anya, and Faith walked in the door.

"Where the hell is she?" asked Anya as she looked around the empty apartment. "We brought ice cream and movies for a girls' night and she isn't even here?"

"Look what I found." Faith picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the coffee table.

"What's it say?" asked Willow.

"I might not be home in time for the movies, but go ahead and start without me." Faith smiled as she read the last part of the not to herself.

"What's it say?" asked Anya.

"I'm having lunch with Spike," read Faith out loud.

"Oh my God! I _knew_ it!" exclaimed Cordelia. "I told ya there'd be a second date."

"Well, we might as well start without her," said Willow.

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"Lunch was great," said Fred as Spike walked her to the door.

"Yeah, we should go there again," agreed Spike.

"We should, I haven't had any decent sweet tea since I left Texas."

"I bet. England isn't really known for anything except tweed and tea."

"And the Sex Pistols," said Fred.

Spike smiled.

"I didn't know you knew anything about The Sex Pistols."

"Oh, I love them. They're my favorite punk band."

"Mine too."

"_Really_? That's so weird," said Fred with a smile.

"I guess we have a lot more in common then we though," replied Spike.

"Guess so."

"Well, you should probably get in before they send out a sear party."

"Yeah, I'm already gonna get hassled for details," said Fred.

Spike leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on Fred's cheek.

"Might as well give them something to talk about," replied Spike with a smile as he walked back toward his car.

A huge grin spread across Fred's face, before she headed inside.

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To Be Continued . . .

Please review!


	11. Surprise!

Away From It All

Chapter 11: Surprise!

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Summary: See pervious chapters.

Disclaimer: The characters of Btvs and Ats belong to Joss Whedon. Spike's family members and other character you've never heard of before are mine.

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"Group Therapy."

"Something we all need," said Spike.

"No, for the band name," said Xander.

"Why Group Therapy?" asked Angel, who was finally starting to hang out with the group more.

"I dunno, I was just brain storming."

"I kind of like it," said Gunn.

"Sï€¡not bad," said Spike.

"It's okay." Oz sat down on the couch.

"So, is that what you're gonna call yourselves?" asked Angel.

"Guess so," said Xander.

Gunn nudged Spike in the ribs, which caused Spike to turn and glare at him.

"Do it," whispered Gunn.

Spike glared at Gunn a while longer before turning to Angel.

"Peaches, has your singing gotten any better since you became human?"

"Why?" asked Angel.

"Gunn wants you in the band."

"I guess I could."

"Great, you're in," said Gunn.

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Buffy walked into her mother and Giles' room to find her mom packing a suitcase.

"What are you doing?" asked a more then slightly panicked Buffy, as she remembered the last time she was in this situation and what it lead to.

"It's nothing like that," replied Joyce as if she could read minds. "We're going to England."

"Oh," said Buffy with a sigh of relief. "Why are we going to England?"

"Well, Thanksgiving is soon and Rupert and I thought it'd be nice to visit his family."

"Do the British even celebrate Thanksgiving?"

Joyce was quiet for a moment.

"Honestly, I'm not sure."

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"He kissed you!?"

"It was just a little peck on the cheek," said Fred.

"Still, it's a huge leap toward coupledom, which is exactly where we want you two," said Cordelia.

"I'd like to see the scale in which a peck equals a leap," said Fred.

"You have to admit, it's more then a friendly thing," said Faith.

"It could lead to many nights of incredible shagging," said Anya.

"New rule." Fred pointed at Anya. "We don't talk about me shagging Spike. Got it?"

"Fine, but can we talk about shagging Spike in general?"

"Ugh, no!"

"What's the big deal?" asked Faith. "I mean, it's not like you two are a couple or anything."

"I know what you're trying to do," said Fred.

"What's that?" asked Willow.

"You're trying to get me to go out and do something stupid to get Spike to be my boyfriend."

"Can't pull the wool over your eyes," commented Cordy.

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"So, where does your family live?" asked Dawn.

"Bath," replied Giles from his seat on the plane.

"And that's where?"

"About two hours from London."

"Oh! Can we visit Spike?"

"I don't know," said Joyce.

"Please mom!" begged Dawn. "It's only two hours away."

"It might be fun," said Buffy.

"We'll see," replied Joyce.

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"Anybody want to go to the movies tonight?" asked Xander.

"I'll go," said Spike.

"Are you going to invite Fred?" asked Gunn.

"Maybe," replied Spike.

"You should, I'm gonna invite Faith."

"I figured Anya would come," said Xander.

"Cordy and I'll go," said Angel.

"Count me and Will in," said Oz.

"Great, now we just need to check with the girls we've so graciously spoken for," said Xander.

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"I'll get it." Cordelia got up and answered the door to reveal Xander and the other guys standing outside. "Why hello there."

"Hey Cordy," said Xander as he stepped inside the apartment.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" asked Cordelia as she shut the door behind the last guy.

"We wondered if you fine ladies would do us the honor of going to the movies with us," said Gunn.

"What are ya gonna see?" asked Faith.

"I'm gonna take a huge risk and say . . . ladies' choice?" said Xander.

"Are you sure you guys are man enough for such a bold move?" asked Willow.

"Yeah, we could ask to see something really crappy," said Fred.

"This is a leap of faith here," said Xander as he sat down on the couch next to Anya.

"We could go and see The Grudge," suggested Fred.

"I've been wanting to see that," said Oz.

"Do we all agree?" asked Xander.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"The Grudge it is then."

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"That was a good one," said Xander as the group came out of the theater.

"Yeah," said Spike, who had his arm around Fred. "A lot better then I thought it would be."

"It's still early, you guys want to come back and hang out?" asked Gunn.

"Sure, why the hell not," said Faith.

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"So, have you guys thought of a band name yet?" asked Willow.

"So far our only idea is Group Therapy," said Xander.

"It's cool," said Anya.

"Have any plans for a show yet?" asked Faith.

"We should be able to pull something off in a couple of weeks," said Gunn. "We have to try out our new singer." Gunn motioned toward Angel.

"Don't tell Lorne, he'll never come to a show," teased Cordelia.

"We're hoping he only slaughters Barry Manilow's stuff," said Oz.

Angel was about to respond, but there was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it." Spike hoped up and went to answer the door.

Fred looked over at the door just in time to see Spike almost get knocked down by someone throwing their arms around Spike's neck.

"Spike! It's so good to see you!"

"Same 'ere Nibblet," replied Spike as he untangled himself from Dawn.

"Hey everyone," said Buffy as she stepped inside the apartment.

"Oh my god! Buffy!" said Anya.

"Surprise."

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To Be Continued . . .


	12. What Are You Doing Here?

Away From It All

Chapter 12: What Are You Doing Here?

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Summary: See pervious chapters.

Disclaimer: The characters of Btvs and Ats belong to Joss Whedon. Spike's family members and other character you've never heard of before are mine.

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"Buffy! What, what are you doing here?" asked Angel as he got to his feet.

"Giles and my mom are visiting his family in Bath and Dawn wanted to come by for a visit," said the blonde.

"Wow, this certainly is a surprise," said Cordelia, coming to stand between Angel and Buffy.

"Yeah, that's what we intended," said Dawn.

"This is just _too_ weird," said Xander. "I mean, what are the odds?"

"I don't know," said Buffy.

"Well," said Faith. "I think we should celebrate."

"How?" asked Dawn.

"There's this club down here that's a lot like the Bronze," said Cordelia.

"That sounds like fun," said Buffy.

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"How long are you guys staying?" asked Willow as the group sat at a table at the Edge.

"I don't know," replied Buffy as she took a drink of her Coke. "School's out for two weeks for Thanksgiving."

"Two weeks?" asked Xander. "We never got to weeks when there was a Hell Mouth under the library."

"I don't know why they did it that way," replied Buffy.

"Hmm, Peaches is playin' hooky," said Spike.

"Really?" asked Dawn.

"Not really, I mean, Levels are optional and out of the Levels, fourteenth year is optional, so I don't really have to go," said Angel.

"Tell that to your mum," said Spike. "She and my mum are masters at nagging you into going to school."

"_You're still in school_?" asked Dawn.

"Yeah, Spike's a regular little school boy," said Faith.

"And he looks cute in the uniform," said Fred.

"Ya think so Pet?" Spike looked over at Fred.

"Yeah, I do," replied the Texan with a smile.

Buffy couldn't help, but notice the flirting between the two.

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"Are Spike and that girl a couple?" asked Buffy as she looked over at Willow, Anya, Faith, and Cordelia who were still sitting at the table.

"Who, Fred?" asked Willow.

"I guess that's her name," said Buffy.

"Well," said Cordelia as she looked over to the pool table where Spike, Fred, and Oz were playing a game of pool against Angel, Gunn, and Xander with Dawn keeping score. "They haven't said anything about it."

"But they flirt up a storm," said Anya.

"So, was that a yes or a no?" asked a slightly confused Buffy.

"They might as well be," said Faith. "They go on dates, they hang out, all that's missing is the official title and a lot more kissing."

"They've _kissed_?"

"Just a few pecks on the cheek," said Willow.

"But it's not because of a lack of trying on our part," said Anya. "We've been trying to get them to make it official for a while now."

"I didn't even know they knew each other."

"Yeah," said Faith. "According to Gunn, there was some major flirting back when Spike first showed up in LA."

"Oh." Buffy looked over at Spike and Fred.

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"Are you staying for Thanksgiving or are you going back home?" asked Spike as he finished his shot.

"I'm staying," replied Fred. "Mom and dad are taking Jeff with them to see Grandma and Grandpa in Texas."

"I thought you loved it in Texas," said Spike.

"I do," said Fred. "But I like it here too."

"Speaking of Thanksgiving," said Gunn. "Where are we having it?"

"That's a good question," said Xander. "Spike?"

"I'm sure mum will want to do something, if not for the family, she'll do it for you guys," said the blonde.

"Are we going to have our own too or just your mom's?" asked Xander.

"Is food all you ever think about?" asked Angel.

"Yeah," said Oz with a smile.

"I think of other things," said Xander in his defense.

"Like what?" asked Dawn.

"Uh, well . . . that's not important."

"Just admit it Xander," said Dawn. "You've got food on the brain twenty-four seven."

"I plead the fifth," replied Xander.

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Spike walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone.

"Ello?"

_"William, did I wake you?"_

"No mum, I was already up," replied Spike.

_"Well, you should be, it's almost eleven."_

"Tell that to everyone else," said Spike with a laugh.

_"Some people just aren't morning people. Anyway, I called to see what your friends were doing for Thanksgiving."_

"I don't think they're doing anything."

_"That's good, because we're having Thanksgiving at three this Friday."_

"You have it all planned out?"

_"Yes, I thought it might be nice for them to do something familiar since they're away from home."_

"How thoughtful," said Spike.

_"I'm not as evil as you children seem to think I am."_

"I don't think you're evil Mum."

_"Well, tell that to Sam. I wouldn't let him go out with his friends and now he's raving on about how I'm so cruel and how I don't remember being his age. For heaven's sake, I wasn't born in the dark ages, I know what it's like to be fifteen."_

"I'll talk to him," said Spike.

_"All right, well, let your friends know about Thanksgiving."_

"I will."

_"Love you."_

"Love you too Mum," said Spike as he hung up the phone.

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To Be Continued . . .


	13. What's There to be Thankful For?

What's There to be Thankful For?

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Summary: See pervious chapters.

Disclaimer: The characters of Btvs and Ats belong to Joss Whedon. Spike's family members and other character you've never heard of before are mine.

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"Are you and Dawn coming to Thanksgiving at Spike's parent's house?" asked Willow as Buffy sat down on the couch.

"When is it?" asked the blonde.

"This Friday at three," replied the red head.

"Dawn will want to go," said Buffy.

"You two should come, you could bring your mom and Giles too."

"Will that girl be there?"

"You mean Fred?"

"Yeah, _her_," said Buffy sourly.

"Probably," said Willow. "Why, do you not like her or something?"

"I don't really know her, it's just . . ."

"She's with Spike," finished Willow.

"No! Well, maybe, God I don't know." Buffy sighed. "I don't even like Spike and yet here I am, acting all jealous and crap."

"Human nature, you want what you can't have."

"Huh?" asked Buffy.

"When Spike was begging you to like him, you wanted nothing to do with him and now that he's moved on, you're the one doing the begging."

"I guess so," said Buffy.

"So, are you going?"

"So I can watch Spike and his new squeeze have a nice holiday?"

"They're not even official yet," said Willow.

"Still . . ."

"Come for me and Xander?" Willow pouted and acted as if she were going to cry.

"I guess I'll go."

"Great!"

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Eryn and Mary watched from the safety of the stairs as their mother went from a mild-mannered housewife to a slightly crazed cooking machine.

"Is that even Mum?" Mary watched as Anne set the table, cooked the turkey, and mashed the potatoes all at once.

"I think there's some sort of gene that only activates during the holidays that makes married women go crazy," replied Eryn.

"It's the flu shots," said Sam as he came down the stairs.

"Huh?" Mary and Eryn both turned to look at their brother.

"The government has been putting a mind controlling agent in the flu shots for years now," said Sam as he sat down on the steps. "It makes you go out and buys lots of things and cook excessive amounts of food."

"But, Mum didn't get a flu shot this year," said Mary.

Sam was quiet for a moment.

"Ell if I know then, maybe she's finally gone round the bend."

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"Should we bring something?" asked Willow. "Cause I feel like we should bring something."

"Ya don't have to bring anything Red," said Spike.

"What about a pie?"

"I'm sure Spike's mom has a pie," said Gunn.

"Yeah Wills, this is just your pre-big-occasion freak out," said Xander. "You do this before any big event."

"You're right," said Willow as the group left the girls' apartment. "I'm just freaking out is all."

"Everything will be fine," said Angel.

"I think we need a pie."

"Will it make you feel better if we stop and get a bag of rolls?" asked Spike.

"Maybe a little," said Willow.

"Okay, will run by and get rolls and then go over to Mum's."

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"I'm gonna go for it." Sam, Mary, and Eryn had moved from the stairs to the living room where James was reading the paper.

"No, you can't! She'll kill you!" Mary looked over at her brother as if he were insane.

"Yeah, she's vicious," said Eryn.

"Mum doesn't have a vicious bone in 'er body," said Sam as he slowly walked toward the kitchen table where a plate of cookies was sitting.

"She'll kill you boy," said James from behind his newspaper as Sam walked by.

"Come on Da., it's Mum we're talking about 'ere." Samm looked at the newspaper that was hiding his father's face.

"That is no longer your mother in there."

"You're all looney," said Sam. "I'm hungry and I'm going to get a cookie."

Sam strode purposefully into the kitchen and to the table. Anne was busy making the stuffing with her back to him when he reached the table.

"Samuel Wallace, if you so much as breath on one of those cookies, I'll hit you where you stand."

"But, you can't even see me," said Sam in mild shock. "How'd you know I was 'ere?"

"I have my ways," said Anne as she turned to set the stuffing on the counter. "Sides, you're the noisiest child I know. You couldn't sneak up on a deaf mute." Anne smiled and handed Sam a stack of plates.

"What are these for?"

"You get to set the table."

Sam mumbled something under his breath about unfairness in the house as he left the kitchen.

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Anne came into the living room just as Spike and the other's arrived.

"I'm so glad you all could make it," said Anne with a smile.

"We brought rolls," said Willow as she handed Anne the baked goods.

"You didn't have to bring anything, you're practically family dear," said Anne.

"That's what we said, but she felt guilty," said Xander.

"Well, now we'll have plenty of food for everyone." Anne walked back into the kitchen to finish making dinner.

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"Do you have to look like someone died?" whispered Willow as she and the others waited in the living room.

"What do you mean?" asked Buffy.

"Come on Buff," said Xander. "I've seen happier faces at a wake."

"What are you guys talking about? I'm perfectly happy."

"Is that why you keep scowling in the direction of the dining room?" asked Dawn.

"What's scowl worthy in the dining room?" asked Angel.

"Spike and Fred," replied Cordelia.

The group subconsciously looked into the dining room to where Spike and Fred were sitting the table.

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"How many people are coming?" asked Fred as she sat down a plate.

"Just us, my parents, and my sibs," replied Spike as he finished putting the silver ware out.

"Well if that's all, then all we have left is to put the centerpiece on the table." Fred turned and retrieved the mentioned decoration. "I can't reach the middle of the table," said Fred with a laugh.

"Ere I'll do it." Spike took the center piece from Fred and stretched across the table and set it down in the middle. "All done."

"Are you two done already?" asked Anne as she came into the dining room with the rolls.

"Yep," replied Fred.

"I should have you two do this all the time," said Anne as she set down the rolls. "You make quite the team."

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"Can you at least _try_ to look thankful?" asked Dawn out of the corner of her mouth.

"What's there to be thankful for?" replied Buffy as she picked up her glass.

"Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that we're all together and that there's no more bad guys to fight?" replied Dawn.

"I just want to say how happy I am that we can all be together," said Thomas from his seat in between his dad and Spike. "I mean, I've got all of my siblings back once again and some rather new additions to the family as well." Thomas nodded toward Angel.

"At least _somebody_ knows how this holiday is supposed to work," muttered Dawn.

"Will you just shut up about it already?" snapped Buffy.

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To Be Continued . . .

Please review!


	14. Coupledom

Away From It All

Chapter 14: Coupledom

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Summary: See pervious chapters.

Disclaimer: The characters of Btvs and Ats belong to Joss Whedon. Spike's family members and other character you've never heard of before are mine.

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Buffy and Dawn left London and went back to Sunnydale shortly after Thanksgiving, but Dawn promised to be back in time for Christmas. The guys' band Group Therapy finally got its act together and started doing shows down at the Edge every week or two, despite the fact that Angel had finally returned to Dublin and to school. The former vampire had refused to leave Cordelia, but the brunette put her foot down and told him if he didn't go back she'd dump him for some other Irish guy. Faith and Gunn had become official and now everyone was waiting for Spike and Fred to do the same.

"So," said Willow as she sat down on Cordelia's bed. "How's coupledom treating you?"

"It's nice," replied Faith. "I think _everyone_ should try it." Faith looked over to where Fred was being harassed by Cordelia and Anya, who were armed with various pieces of clothing and shoes.

"Will you guys stop obsessing over that?" asked Fred as Anya forced a dress in her face and pushed her toward the bathroom.

"Well my God Fred, you two have been _hanging_ out, for how long now?" Cordelia made quotation marks out of her fingers when she said the word hanging. "You two might as well make it official."

"Yeah, you guys don't even kiss in public," commented Anya. "What's up with that?"

"We're just taking things slow is all," replied Fred as she came out of the bathroom in the dress.

"No, taking it slow is not having sex on the first date, you guys are creeping along at a mind numbly slow rate," said Anya. "And take off the dress, I don't like it."

Fred let out an aggravated sigh before going back into the bathroom.

"Tell me again why you two are fussing over what I wear to the gig tonight?" called Fred from the bathroom.

"Because Spike will be there and you need to wear something breathtaking that will cause him to lose his mind and step on the gas of the car that is your relationship," said Willow as Fred tossed the dress back into the bedroom.

"Did anybody ever think that he's taking things slow because you four are scaring the crap out of him?" asked Fred.

"I really don't think Spike's commitment shy or any type of shy for that matter," said Cordelia as she rummaged through the closet. "Here try this." Cordelia handed Fred some clothes.

"Well the old vampire Spike was all balls and swagger," said Fred. "But what if human Spike isn't?"

"Ooh, I like that one," said Willow as Fred came out of the bathroom wearing the black jeans, purple tank top, and black crocheted jacket that Cordelia had handed her.

"Yes, you most definitely have to wear that," said Anya.

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"What songs are the guys playing tonight?" asked Cordelia as she took a drink of her soda.

"I have no idea," replied Willow. "I didn't get a chance to talk to Oz before the show."

"I guess we'll just have to listen and find out then," said Faith.

"I guess so," said Fred.

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After the show Spike and the rest of the guys came over to the table.

"Great show," said Faith as she gave Gunn a kiss.

"Thanks," replied the black man.

"Do you know when you're next gig is?" asked Willow.

"Well," said Angel. "It's the eighteenth, so that means we have a show sometime around Christmas."

"Ho ho ho," said Xander.

"Maybe Buffy and Dawn will be able to come to that one," said Cordelia.

"Maybe, Dawn did promise that they'd be back for Christmas," said Anya.

The group stayed awhile longer to hang out and talk and then decided to go their separate ways.

"You girls gonna be all right going home alone?" asked Xander.

"I'm sure we'll be fine," said Cordelia. "If not, we can find a strapping young male to escort us."

"Ha ha, very funny," said Angel.

"See ya later," said Fred as she gave Gunn a hug good-bye.

"I'll call you tomorrow," replied Gunn.

"Okay."

Willow hugged Oz and said her good-byes while Anya and Cordelia did the same. The four women were ready to leave and turned in time to see Spike lean down and give Fred a quick kiss on the lips.

"Take care Luv."

"You too," said Fred as she turned and followed Willow and the others out of the Edge.

"Somebody has on a huge grin," commented Cordelia with a smile.

"Don't even start," replied Fred.

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"So, uh, are you and Fred going out now?" asked Gunn.

"Yeah," replied Spike.

"Great!" said Xander. "Now we don't have to listen to the other girls go on and on about how you two need to become official."

"Tell me about it, that's all Cordy ever talks about," said Angel as he put his coat on.

"Well now they'll have to give all of their attention to shoes," said Spike with a smile.

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Buffy came down stairs to find her sister and Andrew playing cards.

"What are you doing here?" asked Buffy.

"I live not too far away," said Andrew. "I thought I'd come visit you guys."

"How sweet." Buffy walked into the kitchen to get something to drink.

"Are you guys going to England for Christmas?" called Andrew.

"I dunno, why?" asked Buffy.

"I am," said Andrew.

"Do you even have family up there?" asked Buffy as she came back into the livingroom.

"I talked to Wesley and he said it'd be nice for us all to get together for Christmas," said Andrew as he put a few poker chips into the center of the table. "Y'know, like some sort of closure."

"Yeah, like an end of our old lives is the beginning to our new better ones," said Dawn.

_I don't see how this one is that much better then the old one. _Thought Buffy.

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To Be Continued . . .

Please review!


	15. Mistletoe And Closure

Away From It All

Chapter 15: Mistletoe and Closure

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Summary: See pervious chapters.

Disclaimer: The characters of Btvs and Ats belong to Joss Whedon. Spike's family members and other character you've never heard of before are mine.

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"Mom, are we going to England for Christmas?" asked Dawn once Joyce and Giles got home from the grocery store.

"We were going to try to at least," said Giles. "Why?"

"Andrew's going and he wondered if we were."

"Not to mention you promised everyone already," said Buffy.

"Why's Andrew going?" asked Joyce as she began to put up the groceries. "He doesn't have any family there, does he?"

"He talked to Wesley and they both think it's a good idea for us to all get together and celebrate our new lives."

"That's a nice idea," said Giles as he handed Joyce the orange juice. "I'll see what we can manage."

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"I received a phone call from Andrew not too long ago," said Wesley, who hardly ever got to hang out with the others because of school.

"Really?" asked Willow. "What'd he have to say?"

"He wanted to know if I could find a way for him to spend Christmas with us, or more importantly Spike." Wesley glanced over at the blonde who was sitting on the couch with Fred.

"I told you he had some weird semi-erotic fascination with you," said Xander.

"What can I say? I'm just that charismatic," said Spike.

"Oh yes, you're devilish good looks are just too much for everyone to resist," teased Faith.

"Spike does have a certain amount of natural charm I suppose," said Anya.

"It's the voice," said Lorne. "Chords of gold."

"And the fact you're in a band," said Gunn. "Chicks dig guys in bands."

"And you wear leather," said Faith.

"Can we please stop talking about how hot my boyfriend is?" asked Fred.

"If you insist," said Willow in mock aggravation.

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"How are we going to work out Christmas with Giles' family and Christmas with Spike and everyone?" asked Dawn.

"I don't know," said Buffy as she flipped through the channels on the TV. "Ask mom. She's in charge of all the technical stuff."

"Mom!" called Dawn.

"Yes Honey?" replied Joyce, sticking her head into the living room.

"How are we working out two Christmases?" asked Dawn, turning so she could look at her mother.

"We're spending Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with Giles' family in Bath and then we're spending Christmas Day and the day after Christmas with Spike."

"Wow, we're really gonna rake in the frequent flyer miles," commented Buffy.

"Tell me about it," replied Joyce as she went back into the kitchen to finish cooking dinner.

"Ooh! Maybe we could save the frequent flyer miles and then go on one _huge_ vacation to Europe and all those other places we should go on vacation to."

"I'm so glad they have you taking Geography," said Buffy as she rolled her eyes.

"Like you could do any better," shot back Dawn.

"I was just teasing."

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"As much as I love the thought of having the whole gang back together again for one last encore, can I point out what a _huge_ pain in the ass this is going to be?" Cordelia looked around the living room at her friends. "Surely I'm not the only one who thinks this?"

"I kind of have to agree with Cordy on this one," said Xander. "I mean, I like Buffy, Dawnie, Giles, and Mrs. Summers . . ."

"Mrs. Giles," corrected Willow instinctively.

"Whatever, I like them as much as the next guy, but how are we going to work this out?"

"I have no idea," said Gunn.

"Well, Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, they'll be with the Giles family," said Wesley.

"So we only have to work out Christmas evening and Boxing Day to figure out," said Angel.

"Well I'm sure the two of us," Spike pointed to himself and Angel. "We'll have to go to midnight mass, with the rest of our family."

"Yeah, but that's midnight on Christmas eve," said Angel. "We could still work something out for earlier in the evening."

"I have an idea," said Fred. "Spike, when's your mom doing Christmas?"

"Dinner on Christmas eve, and presents in the morning I think," said Spike. "Which reminds me, I was supposed to invite you all to that."

"Well, we can have Christmas with your family and Angel's and then we can do our Scooby/Fang Gang Christmas on Boxing Day."

"That's a good idea Fred," said Lorne.

"I'll tell Andrew and he can tell Buffy," said Wesley.

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"Can you get the door?" called Anne from the living room.

"Sure thing dear," replied James as he walked down the hall and opened the door. "Declan! Sarah! Kathy! How good to see you. Come in, come in." James ushered his sister, brother-in-law, and niece into the house.

"Hello James," said Sarah as she hugged her brother.

"Anne!" called James. "Sarah's 'ere to help."

"Oh great," said Anne as she came into the entry hall. "We have a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it in." Anne lead Sarah into the living room.

"Women," said Declan and James in unison.

"Honey, why don't you go and find Mary and Eryn?" asked Declan.

"Okay Dad," said Kathryn as she headed off to find her cousins.

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"You've really out done yourself this year," said Sarah as she put the last decoration on the Christmas tree.

"I just wanted to do something special for William and Liam, they've been through so much," said Anne.

"I know what you mean, I just hope it doesn't affect 'em too much."

"They seem to be adjusting well."

"Yeah, Will especially, he's a totally different boy from what he used to be," said Sarah. "I mean he goes from quiet and bookish, to outspoken and has a girlfriend."

"Winifred truly is a dear," said Anne as she began to pick up some of the trash that had occurred due to the decorating. "I hope they stay together."

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"How did we manage to get booked on the same flight?" asked Buffy in amazement, as she rode to the airport.

"I guess we're just lucky," replied Andrew from his spot in the backseat if Joyce's SUV. "And thanks again for giving me a ride."

"No problem Andrew," commented Joyce from the front seat.

"So, we're going to meet you over at Willow's apartment on Christmas day?" asked Giles as he looked into the rear view mirror so he could see Andrew.

"Yep, and then we're all going to have one big Christmas shindig."

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm excited," said Dawn with a smile.

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Spike and Angel came over to the Edwards' residence just in time to be ushered into the dinning room by Anne.

"I'm so glad you boys could make it on time," said Anne as she took their coats and put them on the coat rack. "We decided to have dinner a little bit early and I was afraid you'd be late, because I couldn't reach you."

"Sorry mum, I must've left my phone at Fred's," said Spike.

"How is Winifred?" asked Anne.

"She's fine," Spike took his seat at the table. "Said she'd stop by later fi she got done with decorating the flat in time."

"Well she's always welcome," said Anne. "How are you Liam?"

"Fine Aunt Anne," replied Angel as he sat down.

"And Cordelia?"

"She's fine too. I think she's helping Fred and the girls get the place ready for tomorrow."

"Oh that's right," said Anne as she sat down. "You're having a Christmas for your American friends. I hope you have fun."

"Me too," said Angel.

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"I hate lights," said Anya as she struggled to untangle the knot that had become the Christmas lights. "Why do we even have to have them?"

"It's tradition Ahn," said Willow as she hung stockings on the bar connecting the kitchen to the living room. "Just like these stockings are tradition."

"Speaking of stockings," said Cordelia. "Which one belongs to whom?"

"Well," said Willow. "The black leather one with spike's on it is well, Spike's and the one with the wings on it is Angel's, the black with the red trim is Faith's, the red with the black trim is Buffy's, the green one is mine, the purple one is Fred's, the blue on is Gunn's, the one with the dog is Oz's, the pink one is yours, the leopard print one is Anya's, the smiley face one is Xander's, the outer space looking one is Andrew's, the traditional one is Joyce's, and the light purple one is Dawn's."

"Wow," said Fred. "Where did you manage to get all those custom stockings?"

"I had Spike's mom help me with most of them," said Willow.

"I think they're neat," said Anya.

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"Is that what I think it is?" asked Angel as he looked at the mantle in shock.

"It can't be," replied Spike.

"Two pints and some cookies for Santa Claus. Kevin and Craig wouldn't leave Mum alone until she put them up," said Eryn as she pointed to two little boys who were playing in the dinning room.

"Not all drunks are Irish, but all Irish are drunks," said Sam as he too came into the room.

"That is so stereotypical," said Angel, eyeing the Guinness.

"I bet Mum would let us drink the Guinness once the kids go to sleep," said Spike.

"Can we eat the cookies too?" asked Angel, forgetting about the racial stereo typicalness of the situation.

"We could ask 'er."

"You can't go to mass drunk," said Eryn.

"Have you ever been to one of this family's funerals?" asked Spike. "I've seen less liquor at a pub."

"Sides," said Angel. "It's just a pint."

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"Buffy!" said Willow as she pulled the blonde into a hug. "How are you?"

"Fine," replied Buffy as Willow let go.

"Hey Dawnie, Mrs. Giles, Giles, Andrew."

"Hello Willow," said Joyce with a smile.

"Where's Spike?" asked Dawn.

"He and Angel haven't got back from their family's Christmas yet," said Cordelia. "He called and said they'd be here in like five minutes."

"Okay," said Dawn.

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"Sorry we're late," said Angel as he and Spike came into the apartment. "We had to take my aunt to the train station."

"No problem," said Anya.

"You guys are actually just in time," said Willow.

Buffy watched with mild anger as Spike promptly took a seat next to Fred on the couch.

"So, who wants to go first?" asked Xander as he eyed the presents.

"Well, since you're about to burst, why don't you start," said Gunn.

"If you insist," said Xander as he began to hand out presents.

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"Hey Wills," said Buffy as she came into the kitchen.

"Yeah?" asked the redhead as she got a soda for herself and one for Oz.

"Are Spike and Fred official now?"

Willow paused.

"Yeah, they went official a few weeks ago," said Willow. "I'm sorry Buffy."

"No, it's okay, really, I just need some closer is all."

"I hope you get it," said Willow as she was called back into the living room by Xander.

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"Okay Dawnie, this is from," Xander paused to read the tag. "Spike and Fred." Xander handed the present to Dawn, who quickly tore into the paper.

"Geez Dawnie, good thing we're not saving that stuff," said Faith with a smile.

Dawn's eyes went wide as she saw the gift.

"This is so cool!" squealed Dawn as she pulled out the dagger from its box.

"That is wicked awesome D," commented Faith.

"But purely for decoration," added Spike.

"Your mom said you had a collection going," said Fred from her spot curled up next to Spike.

"I do and I love it." Dawn set the dagger down and gave Spike and Fred each a hug. "Thanks guys."

"Fred you're next." Xander handed Fred a small box with a bow on it. "It's from Wills."

"Thank you Willow," said Fred as she unwrapped the present to see a Dixie Chicks cd and a Gretchen Wilson cd."

"I hope you like the Gretchen Wilson one, I haven't heard a lot of her stuff, but it seemed like something you'd like."

"Oh yeah, I like her," said Fred."

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"This was nice," said Joyce as Spike and the guys put all the wrapping paper and packaging into trash bags.

"Yeah, and we don't have to clean up either," said Anya.

"_We_ did all the decorating," said Cordelia. "It's the least _they_ could do."

"We didn't help with anything though," said Dawn.

"But you guys just flew all the way from California, that's why Andrew and Giles didn't _have_ to clean up either," said Faith.

"I can hardly call what Andrew's doing as cleaning up," commented Giles as he looked over into the living room where Andrew was gathering up all of the discarded bows and putting them on himself.

"He looks like he's having fun," said Fred as Andrew began to do a little dance around the room.

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To Be Continued . . .

Wow, this is one of the longest chapters I've posted for this fic. Please review (best do it now, cause you might not be able to tomorrow if things keeping going this way).


	16. Boxing Day

Away From It All

Chapter 16: Boxing Day

By: Rogue-Slayer13

Summary: See pervious chapters.

Disclaimer: The characters of Btvs and Ats belong to Joss Whedon. Spike's family members and other character you've never heard of before are mine.

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"Where is everybody?" asked Buffy as she came into Willow's apartment the next morning.

"I could ask you the same," said Willow upon seeing no Dawn, Andrew, Joyce, or Giles behind her blonde friend.

"Mom and Giles took Dawnie and Andrew sightseeing," said Buffy as she took off her coat and laid it on the back of the couch.

"That's nice," said Willow as she sat down next to Buffy on the couch. "Spike and Angel took Fred and Cordelia over to Spike's parent's house for a visit and Xander and Gunn took Anya and Faith with them to go get breakfast."

"What about Oz?" asked Buffy.

"He went to get Wesley and Lorne. They should be over about the time when everyone else gets here."

"Okay, mom and Giles are stopping by a little later."

"Are they bringing Andrew and Dawn?"

"Probably," replied Buffy. "I think mom's sort of adopted Andrew."

"Why's that?"

"He goes with us everywhere," said Buffy. "We can't even leave the country without taking him with us."

"Andrew's not all that bad, I mean he can be fun at times."

"Yeah, but he tends to annoy with all of his Star Trek and Star Wars knowledge way before the fun side of him emerges."

"I think that's just something we have to get used to."

"Don't his parents miss him? I mean he's over at our house _all_ the time."

"What I remember his brother saying about their parents made them sound about as caring as mine," said Willow.

"I thought your mom was more motherly now."

"She is," said Willow. "But this is after the abandonment and mind fixing."

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Angel, Spike, Cordy, and Fred were the first to arrive at the apartment, followed closely by Xander, Gunn, Anya, and Faith with the food. Oz, Wesley, and Lorne got there just in time to see Xander stuff four pieces of toast in his mouth. Joyce and Giles missed the pre-breakfast show much to their delight.

"I think this was a nice Christmas," said Anya.

"Me too," said Willow. "We were all together and there were no demons or apocalypses to worry about."

"We should do this more often," said Wesley.

"Maybe we could have karaoke night sometime," suggested Lorne.

"As long as Angel stay's away from Barry Manilow," said Gunn with a smile.

"Very funny," replied Angel.

"It's not my fault you butcher that song."

"At least you can sing our stuff okay," said Xander.

"Yeah," said Spike. "We'd never make any money if people heard you sing that badly."

"You guys suck," said Angel.

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"So Luv," said Spike as he and Fred sat in the kitchen after breakfast. "You survived your first major visit with my crazy family, how do you feel?"

"Your family's not crazy Spike, I think they're fun," said Fred.

"Really? They don't even mildly frighten you?" asked a shocked Spike.

"Well, watching your brother eat was kind of scary," said Fred with a smile.

"Yeah, he's almost as bad as Harris," said Spike with a laugh.

"Every family has their quirks." Fred looked at Spike. "You wouldn't even believe some of the weird stuff my family does."

"They can't be that weird. Angel always said your family was normal."

"Yeah, a little _too_ normal. Plus, they're from the south which is a whole other thing in itself."

"I haven't actually gotten the chance to meet your family yet," said Spike.

"You'll have to come with me this summer," said Fred.

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"We should probably get going," said Joyce after the group had spent all day visiting. "Our plane leaves in an hour and half and they want you there at least an hour ahead of time."

"Yeah," said Xander. "It was nice seeing you guys again."

"Same here," said Anya.

"I'll give you guys a call when we get back," said Buffy. "Unless of course it would be really late over here and in that case I'd wait until it wasn't so late."

"We know what you mean," said Willow.

"Bye Spike," said Dawn as she gave the former vampire a hug.

"See ya Nibblet."

Dawn finished saying her goodbyes before following her mom and Giles out to the car while Buffy said hers.

"See you guys," said Buffy as she was pulled into a group hug by Willow, Xander, Anya, and Cordelia.

"Bye Buffy," said Willow.

"See ya later." Buffy waved at the guys and then walked over to Spike and Fred.

"It was nice having you over," said Fred, not knowing what else to say.

"I thought so," said Buffy. "Bye Spike and congratulations you two."

"Bye Buffy," said Spike as the slayer left the apartment.

"That must've been hard for her," said Fred.

"Yeah, but we all need a little bit of closure," replied Spike.

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The End


End file.
